The present invention is designed to enable a user to level prior art straight and extension ladders placed into service on uneven ground. In certain applications, such as fire fighting, where time is of the essence, to include a real world fire ground environment where speed and efficiency are the most important factors to successful adder deployment, there is a long felt need for improved devices and methods for providing a stable positioning of a ladder on uneven ground.
Standard practice according to the International Fire Service Training Association advises that no ground ladder should be ascended without being reliably and stably supported from the ground; the method of the present invention addresses this object. The present invention takes a very simple shape adapted to the objective of leveling a ladder that has been placed into service on uneven ground.
There is currently no standard practice for leveling a ladder in the fire ground scenario, other than to pull the ladder towards the objective until both beams of the ladder touch firm ground surface. This prior art technique often places undo twisting stress on the ladder and applies forces to ladder beams that these ladders are not tested for.
While there are other leveling options on the market (e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,423,797, 6,336,521 & 5,542,497) these require permanent modifications to ladder, bulky add ons that are not conducive to how ladders are stored on fire department apparatus. These are quality products designed for the single craftsman who has the opportunity and ability to take the time to securely and stably position a ladder without haste.